Big Sendoff For Booker T. Washington Tornadoes
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Students and supporters of the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes are out in force at the school Friday morning as the top-ranked football team prepares to leave for the state championships in Orlando.
The Tornadoes will play Bolles High School out of Jacksonville for the Florida Class 4A state championship on Saturday and with a victory can also claim the high school national championship.
The Tornadoes are 13-0 and rank as the number one team in the country according to USA Today's Super 25. The school, listed with an enrollment of less than 1,000 students, has put together one of the best programs in the country led by head coach Tim "Ice" Harris.
Harris' son, Treon, leads the Tornadoes' explosive offensive attack. With Treon at the helm, the Tornadoes have essentially breezed through the FHSAA 4A playoffs. Washington is averaging 44.7 points per game since the regional semifinals including a 49-10 demolition of Cocoa in the state semifinals.
Harris' team is loaded with Division I prospects on both sides of the ball. Treon Harris is committed to Florida State while the team's highest-ranked player, defensive end Chad Thomas is verbally committed to the Miami Hurricanes.
Joining Thomas on the Hurricanes will be defensive back Nigel Bethel II. All three of the players are ranked at least four stars by Rivals.com. Three other Tornadoes players will also be headed to Division I schools next year.
Bolles beat the Tornadoes for the state championship in 2011. Since then, Booker T. Washington has dominated the game in Florida and this year, across the country.
If Bolles wants to win, it needs to play better than it did last year against Washington. The Tornadoes demolished Bolles last year 35-7 to claim the state championship.
Bolles and Booker T. Washington kick off at 7 p.m. in Orlando's Citrus Bowl on Saturday.
